The campaign to save jobs at the Isle of Wight Vestas wind turbine factory is being stepped up. Following a series of meetings with a growing network of workers who are organising across the two plants on the Isle of Wight and the Southampton site, a committee of workers is discussing various concrete plans for different forms of direct action, and workers report that the mood at the factory is increasingly confident and militant.
The knowledge that there is a committee of Vestas workers organising; the flood of messages of support and donations of money to the campaign from outside; the successful mass leafleting in Newport on Saturday - all of these factors are creating a new confidence in a previously broken and demoralised workforce.
Activists from Workers' Liberty, Workers' Climate Action and other left groups have been out leafleting and petitioning in the main square in Newport every day, and visits to talk to workers at the factory gates are continuing. Today Prince Charles visited the Island to open an 'eco-gym' - we came along with banners, placards and leaflets as he visited a farmers' market to raise awareness of our campaign and protest at the hypocrisy of the Prince, who like the government is happy to mouth banal slogans about the environment but studiously ignored the biggest environmental issue on the Isle of Wight - the Vestas closure. It emerged that Vestas bosses had anticipated our action and informed the police, who were out in force to search and bother us, although they didn't prevent us holding up our banners and placards and leafleting as the Prince was paraded around.
We need messages of solidarity, donations to the campaign fund, and motions of support from union branches to continue flowing in. Contact savevestas@gmail.com for more information, and spread the word about the campaign. Phone 07775 763 750 if you're interested in coming to the IoW to help with the campaign.
